Article and process for multiplying



INVENTOR FRED-...h

ATTOR EYS l l l I l L lIIIlL am D. s ter 6M,

Sept. 12, 1939. w. D. FOSTER ARTICLE AND PROCESS FOR MULTIPLYINGlRECORDS mv mt. m n m im `51s oom 1 no. .ou a man 2:2. I I l Ilhlll IlIl I Il ||Il\\ ma m m N V l K N ob Eb rqmnmw vom wel .Guin wmmz 192imxrmmmm mmuzmxu utimk mb @FI m JOIS DON w, OO.

Reima! sept. 12, 1939 Re, 21,204

ARTICLE AND PROCESS FOR MULTIPLYING BEO'JRDS William D. Foster, StewartManor, N. Y., assignor to Manifold Supplies Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., acorporation of New York l Original No. 2,060,190. dated November l0,1936.

ISerial No. 1,153, January 10, 1935. Application for reissue November10, 1938, Serial No.

9 Claims.

My invention relates to the multiplying o! written or printed recordsand particularly to those multiplying processes wherein a record made ona sheet of paper is applied either directly or indirectly to othersheets of paper by dampening the ink upon the original record and thentransmitting a copy-producing portion of this ink either directly to thesheets which are to serve as copies, or else to a prepared apron fromwhich the duplicate copies are taken.

In using an intermediate transfer medium such as the well knowngelatin-coated apron, it is necessary either to write or print theoriginal matter in hectographic ink or to make positive copies thereofby means oi a hectographic transfer sheet which has been impregnated orcoated with a suitable inking medium. However obtained, the original orthe positive copy is placed face down and firmly pressed upon thegelatincoated apron, which has previously been well soaked with water;and after pressure has been applied the gelatin of the apron absorbs inkfrom the original or the positive copy so as to produce upon the surfaceof the apron a. reverse or negative representation of the written orprinted matter of the original. Positive copies may then be taken fromthe negative apron by pressing thereon paper on which the impression isthus reproduced in positive form.

As above indicated, multiplication oi copies may be accomplished withoutthe use of such a transfer medium as just described. In this process forreproducing or making duplicate copies of original matter, eitherprinted or written,the copies are made directly from the rear face ofthe original sheet, the original sheet having been i made in such amanner that the written or liquid capable of dissolving the ink appliedto the original. This latter process, known in the trade as the spiritprocess, may be better understood by reference to United States LettersPatent No. 1,645,930 granted to William Ritzerfeld.

While my present invention may be useful in connection with both ofthese processes, its more particular object is to provide master sheetshaving form matter and till-in matter both in nega- (CI. lOl-149.5)

tive or reverse representation on the rear side of the sheet upon theiront side of which the original fill-in matter has been written orprinted. In the past, in carrying out the process disclosed in theRitzerfeld patent, when it was desired to make an original master recordcomprising fili-in matter in appropriate relation to a previouslyprinted form, such as waybills, bills of lading, invoices, etc., it wasthe practice (in order that the printed matter appear in negative on therear side of the master sheet) to have each master sheet made with ahectographic copying sheet attached thereto with the inked side of thecopying sheet lying against the rear side of the master sheet. The sheetwas then printed on a press or otherwise to produce the form matter uponthe front side of the sheet in positive presentation and,simultaneously, a negative copy thereofthrough the medium of the copyingsheet-upon the back side of the sheet. Having thus produced mastersheets so far as concerns the printed form matter, these master forms,whether invoice, bill of lading or other form, could be lled in withhandwriting or typewriting in the usual manner so that the ink from theribbon of the typewriter or from the pen of the writer would beimpressed upon the front side of the sheet in proper relation to theform matter printed thereon, and a carbon or hectographic copy. thereofwould be made in negative or reverse configuration upon the rear sideoi' the master sheet-then complete both as to form matter and fill-inmatter. Master sheets produced in this manner are expensive and may runas high as five or six cents apiece. Consequently it will be readilyunderstood that where many such master sheets are to be made the expensebecomes a considerable item. It is an object of the present invention toproduce master sheets having form matter appearing thereon and whichwill be more eiective to produce better copies of the original formmatter than could result from the old process, and to do so at but afraction of the expense involved in using the old process. ,frs

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a positive electrotype or other block for printing formmatter in negative presentation;

Fig. 2 shows a manifolding master sheet upon the back side of which theform matter has been printed in negative conformation in hectographicink;

Fig. 3 shows the master sheet and a sheet of hectographic carbon paperassembled to produce presentation of the iill-in matter displayed uponthe front side thereof; and

Fig. 4 shows the back side of the master sheet completed both as to formmatter and fill-in matter.V f

In carrying out my process, the form matter l may be reproduced on theusual zinc plate 2 or other similar printing plate or block, the box,lines or printing of the form matter to appear upon the master sheet 1being produced on the plate in positive presentation so that negative orreverse prints or impressions may be taken therefrom, thus departingfrom the ordinary practice of printing positive impressions of formmatter from negative zinc plates. Having obtained such a positive platewith the proper form matter thereon, I now take negative impressionstherefrom upon the sheets of paper that are eventually to become mastersheets, as indicated at 3 in Fig. 2, first having inked the printingplate with a suitable hectographic or copying ink. Ordinarily the linesand letters of such a negative impression upon the back of the mastersheet will show through to the frontor face of the sheetas indicated bybroken lines in Fig. 3, with suicient clearness so that the sheet may beput in a typewriter together with a sheet of transfer paper 5, or a penmay be used to `Write in the fill-in matter 6 on the front of the sheetin appropriate relation to the form matter I printed in negative on theback, thus producing a complete and accurate negative master copy ontheback of the sheet.

In some cases, however, it may be desirable to have the form matter orfill-in matter, or both, appear on both the obverse and reverse sides ofthe master sheet. In order to produce such a sheet, I mount my plate inthe usual manner in any suitable printing press and, having inked theplate, preferably with copying or hectographic ink, first make anegative impression from the positive plate upon the tympan of thepress; then, placing the master sheet blank in the press, an operationthereof produces a copy having on one face a positive presentation ofthe form matter taken from the tympan of the press and in registrytherewith, upon the opposite side of the paper, a negative presentationof the form matter taken directly from the positive printing plate.

'I'he printed form matter on the face of the sheet not only aids in thefilling in of the fill-in matter in proper relation to the form matterbut, if the original fill-in matter is written in copying ink, thenduplicate copies may be produced by the use of the positive or frontside of the master sheet in the gelatin process referred to above, and-Where a hectographic transfer sheet has been used at the back of themaster sheet in making the negative impression of the fill-in matterthereupon-the back of the sheet may be printed from directly by thespirit process also referred to above. In other words, I can make, inthis manner, a double duty master sheet, capable of use either in thespirit process or the gelatin process.

When, as formerly, matter such as boxes and lines and printing is madeby transference of the inking material from hectographic transfer paper,

the form matter is often blurred and it is difficult v to make clearcopies from such a master sheet so made. On the other hand, a mastersheet having negative form matter impressed thereon by direct printingfrom a plate, has the great advantage of clearness of impression. Thelines are distinct, the lettering, if printed lettering is included inthe form matter, stands out clearly. and many clear 21,2/@4 y upon .theback side of the master sheet a negative copies may be made therefrom bythe spirit process,

I do not desire to lay claim broadly to the'rtnere l making of anegative impression of the matter to be duplicated on the back of theoriginal master sheet, nor do I seek to claim as new the mere use ofafposltive original sheet in themaking of water press or similar copies;but I believe myself the first to produce a master sheet by printingnegative `form matter on the reverse side thereof from a printingv platewhereupon the form matter is presented positively. Further, I believe itto be new as a process to make duplicate copies of form I and fill-inmatter by first providing such a positive printing plate, then producingtherefrom a negative. copying ink impression upon the back of the mastersheet, and then making positive duplicate copies of both form andfill-in matter from the back of the master sheet after the originalll-in matter has been made thereon.

I have cited these two aspects of novelty in my invention in order toexemplify some of the advantages attendant upon its use, but theseexamples are not intended as limitations nor do they include all thepoints of novelty or utility wherein my invention departs from and issuperior to the older processes and the products resulting therefrom.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described process of multiplying copies involving the useof a master sheet having form matter and fill-in matter presented inreverse on the back side of said sheet, consisting in preparing aprinting plate having the form matter in positive presentation thereon,printing from said plate the form matter with a rectographic ink inreverse presentation upon the back side of said sheet, placing the sheetreverse side down upon a surface coated with a hectographic medium, making the original of the fill-in matter on the front side of the saidsheet to cause a reverse duplicate to be formed from said coated surfaceon the back side of said sheet, placing a moistened copy sheet on saidback side of said master sheet, and transferring by pressure both theform and fill-in matter from the back side of said master sheet to saidcopy sheet.

2. The herein described process of producing a master sheet forduplicating, consisting in printing from a positive plate form matter innegative the front side of the sheet in a manner to cause a negativecopy of said iill-in matter to be made from said coated surface upon theback side of said sheet in appropriate relation to the negative formmatter previously printed thereon.

3. The herein described process of copying, consisting in preparing anoriginal sheet with form matter in reverse presentation printed by meansof a positive plate on the back face of said sheet with hectographicink, placing the back side of the sheet upon a surface coated with ahectographic coating medium, producing original fill-in matter on thefront side of the sheet in a manner to cause a negative copy of saidfill-in matter to be made from the coated surface on the back side ofsaid sheet in appropriate relation to-the negative form matterpreviously printed thereon, placing a moistened copy sheet on said backside of said original sheet and subjecting such sheets to pressure tocause the reverse matter on the back side of the original sheet to bereproduced in positive presentation upon the blank sheet.

4. The process of making a master sheet for hectographic duplicatingwhich includes the steps of applying hectographic printing ink to aplate having form matter in positive arrangement thereon and applying adeposit of said hectographic ink on one side of said master sheetdirectly from said plate to define thereon a negative presentation ofsaid form matter.

5. The process of copying which includes the steps of providing portionsof one surface of a master sheet with a deposit of hectographic printingink to define form matter in reverse presentation thereon, applying toother portions of said surface a deposit of hectographic transfer ink bypressure contact of said surface with a transfer sheet having a coatingof hectographic transfer ink to produce desired lill-in matter inreverse presentation on said master sheet, and bringing said deposits ofhectographic printing and transfer inks into engagement with a moistenedcopy sheet to produce thereon an imprint of said form and fill-inmatter.

6. As an article of manufacture, a sheet adapted to receive data on oneside and having on the other side a deposit of hectographic printing inkdefining form matter in negative presentation, said deposit beingadapted to produce repeated prints of said form matter when said sheetis normally employed as a master sheet in the so-called spirit processof multiplying copies.

7. The process of making a master sheet for spirit dulplicating whichincludes the steps of applying hectographed printing ink to a platehaving matter in positive arrangement thereon, and applying a deposit ofsaid hectographic ink on one side of said master sheet directly fromsaid plate to denne thereon a negative presentation c1 said matter.

8. The process of making a master sheet for spirit; duplicating whichincludes the steps of preparing a printing Plate having matter inpositive arrangement thereon, applying h'ectographic printing ink tosaid plate, and applying a deposit of said hectographic ink on one sideof said master'sheet directly from said plate to dene thereon a negativepresentation of said matter.

9. As an article of manufacture, a sheet having on one side a directlyprinted deposit of hectographic printing ink dening matter in negativepresentation, said deposit being adapted to produce repeated prints ofsaid matter when said sheet is normally employed as a master sheet inthe so-called spirit process of multiplying copies.

WILLIAM D. FOS'I'ER.

